Electrical iron holder



Aug. 24, 1948. BEAUDOIN I I 2,441,555

- ELECTRICAL IRON HOLDER Filed on. 29, 194s INVEN TOR.

MOZI/ ATT ZNEY.

Patented Aug. 24, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL IRON HOLDER Roland Beaudoin, Woodside, Long Island, N. Y.

Application October 29, 1946, Serial No. 706,383

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an iron holder. It is particularly adapted to hold electric irons which, because of their construction, lack of balance, and cord connections are difficult to handle and to store. It is to be understood, however, that the holder is adapted generally to the reception of all types of irons.

The construction of the ordinary electric iron is unbalanced except when it is flat upon its ironing surface. It is most unstable when balanced upon its back end and its handle, in which position it is normally placed while the work is being adjusted on the ironing board, At the conclusion of the ironing operation, when the iron is to be stored, it cannot be rested upon its sole plate, which is still hot. It is therefore usually placed in an unbalanced position upon a shelf, from which position it is frequently knocked over and damaged. The unbalance is accentuated by the ironing cord which is permanently attached in many irons and for which no adequate space can be found.

It is an object of this invention to make an iron holder that can serve as a place of storage for the iron and also as a support for the iron when it is put aside during use.

Another object of the invention is to make a support of satisfactory character that will employ a minimum of materials and that will afford a maximum of security.

The objects of the invention are accomplished, generally speaking, by folding a metal plate, preferably a spring metal plate, to a simple shape adapted to wedge the sole plate of the iron and to keep the sole plate against the wedge. The material and the operations involved are kept at a minimum in order to maintain the utmost efficiency in manufacture and to attain the lowest possible cost.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of iron holder;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of another form of the invention.

In Fig. 1, I is a metal plate which may be of thin gauge sheet steel, copper or aluminum, plated or not with chromium or other appearance-enhancing plating material, and which may be otherwise adorned to further enhance its appearance if desired. From the rear end of the plate ID a kind of hook II is formed by appropriately bending a portion of the metal blank from which the holder is made. The metal blank may be stamped out of a large sheet of the chosen metal. The hook II is designed to serve as a support for the cord attached to the electric iron. Appropriate holes l2 in the metal plate serve to attach it to a wall or to a board, or to suspend it by appropriate means from overhead. One end l3 of the holder is preferabl straight and the other end M is preferably pointed, somewhat in conformity to the general shape of an iron. In the form shown in Fig. 1 the reduction of the pointed end begins about mid-Way of the length of the support, the sides thereof being curved until they meet at the tip l5. From the curved portion of these sides two wings l6, l1 project upwardly and are curved inwardly and rearwardly. The front edge 3 of each wing is cut on a curve and the rear edge I9 is cut on a curve which intersects the curve l8 at the point 20. The curvature between the points 2|, 22 at the junction of the wing with the base plate cooperates with the curvatures of the edges l8 and I9 to impart to the wings a surprising resilience. In this construction there may be some excess material in the wing, but that can be compensated for by displacing the central portion of the wing in a rib 23 which serves to give the wing additional strength. A part 23 may be cut out of the base of the wing. The curvature of the edges l8 and the length of the wines is such that space is left between the wings for the passage of the handle of the iron. This space may be closed when the iron is removed, but as the wings are pushed outwardly by the iron, a sufficient space appears between them to accommodate the handle. The edges l8 near the points 20 curve outwardly in order to provide bevels for the iron handle.

By inspecting the section of Fig. 2, it will be perceived that the Wings it, H are simply bent up from the base IE3. It would normally be doubted that so seemingly frail a structure would serve to support a heavy iron successfully. However, it has been demonstrated that even in metal of very light gauge this construction is surprisingly satisfactory. The wings just above the juncture with the base serve as wedge abutments for the point of the iron, and the upper portions of the wings I6 and I1 serve to hold the iron against the abutments. Consequently, the force directed outwardly against the wings l6 and I! is applied almost as an extension of the sole plate and is kept at a minimum.

The iron holder may be surfaced with heatinsulatin material to prevent the heat of the iron from charring oxidizable matter.

In Fig. 3 is shown another form of my invention in which the base Plate 58 is leaf shaped as produced by the stamping machine and has wings 5l52 folded up on straight lines 53-58;. The central part of the wing may he cut out as shown on wing 5!, or may be left solid as shown at 52. The straight bend is an element both of simplicity and strength. Preferably, the sole of the iron makes contact with the bends at the bases of the wings, and the upper part of "the wings make resilient contact with the upper part of the iron. A hook H may be provided at the upper end, or stem, of the leaf.

A slight inward curvature is given to the wings in the neighborhood of the numeral 5A and serves to hold the base of the iron s'othat the upper parts of the wings are not normally under strain. This feature also improves the appearance.

Among the advantages of the invention are these: that a support is provided for an iron, of simple construction :but efiicient operation, operating upon wedging principles and being satisfactorily constructed of light gauge material by simple manufacturing steps.

As many apparently widely difierent embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood. that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, except as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An iron holder plate consisting essentially of a metal plate of iron dimensions having a pointed end conforming to the shape of the pointed end of an iron, the material of said metal plate being extended upward in a pair of spring wings from opposite sides of said plate to positions over the plate, the inner edges of said wings being spaced to admit an iron handle and curved to guide the handle, the wings at the parts nearest the point of the plate being spaced apart a distance less than the full Width of the iron, and the wings in inactive position being spaced from the plate a distance somewhat less than the thickness of an iron, so as to grip an iron between the plate and the spring wings and sidewise between the bases of the wings.

ROLAND BEAUDOIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 565,350 Hall Aug. 4, 1896 1,927,431 Wuenker Sept. 19, 1933 

